July 31, 2010

As some residents struggle with the disappointing reality of mortgages worth more than the appraised values of their homes, so too are cities working to strike a balance between fiscally responsible budget cuts and providing the services that residents need. Cities are focused on finding the best short- and long-term solutions to serious budget shortfalls, and this process involves many difficult decisions.

Unfortunately, the need for city services spikes up during a recession, just as the city’s ability to pay for those services is strained to the max. For example, when faced with unemployment or a dip in income, parents who previously might have sent their children to private summer camps now look to city parks and recreation facilities for summer activities. Fire stations, police and other services experience an increase in demand during hard economic times, when municipalities are struggling more than ever to provide them.

Whether the debate is over trimming payrolls, raising taxes, privatization, cutting some services and saving others, or any of the other painful decisions cities are facing today, the smartest solutions require reviewing data and the knowledgeable input and collaboration among residents and their elected officials. Misinformation, deliberately inflating potential scenarios and politicizing the discussion are in no one’s best interest at critical junctures like these.

Times are very difficult for some cities and less challenging for others. In any case, the decisions residents and elected officials make today will impact our communities for many years to come. Whatever the best solutions may be, there is no quick fix for budget shortfalls.

As president of the Broward League of Cities, I wish to underscore that it is in our collective best interest to make sure the decisions we make are well informed, sustainable, apolitical and get us back on track toward fiscal stability.

Roy Gold is president of the Broward League of Cities and a Coral Springs city commissioner.

July 11, 2010

By FRANK ORTIS, Mayor, Pembroke Pines, and ROY GOLD, President, Broward League of Cities, and Coral Springs City Commissioner

Initiative would hurt growth

In politics, creative marketing may be the difference between success and failure. That’s why convincing Florida voters to oppose Amendment 4, the so-called “Florida Hometown Democracy” constitutional amendment, is no easy task. After all, how could “Hometown Democracy” be anything but good for our state?

However, Amendment 4 will stifle growth and adversely affect our state unlike any other ballot initiative in recent memory. It requires that the adoption of all local governments’ comprehensive plans and any amendments to such plans be subject to the approval of the electorate at a referendum election.